Rooftop heating unit catches fire at Mercury Marine plant in -30° wind chills

FOND DU LAC -- Firefighters on Wednesday, Jan. 30 responded to Mercury Marine Plant 15 for a fire believed to have been sparked by a rooftop heating unit. Thankfully, it did not spread to the building.

It happened around 3 p.m.

Fire crews entered the plant and determined the fire was contained to the roof. Meanwhile, Mercury Marine officials evacuated workers in the immediate area.

Crews accessed the roof, and were able to contain the fire to the roof. No one was hurt.

“With subzero temperatures and wind chills hovering at -30 degrees, firefighters work becomes more difficult than normal,  said Fond du Lac Fire Chief Peter O’Leary.  We were fortunate in this case that the fire was quickly extinguished.  We have additional staffing during this cold snap and we quickly called in off-duty staff to keep the city protected while companies were at Mercury.”

The Fond du Lac Fire Department was assisted by Fond du Lac police and Mercury Marine personnel.